Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab
Abstract:
China-Pakistan strategic partnership is evolving into the politics of interdependence by
encompassing not only the defense dimension but also the trade, investment, energy and
infrastructure development. The proposed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a mega
project which will connect the north-western Sinkiang autonomous region‘s Kashgar city with
the Pakistan‘s Gwadar Port. It is equally important both for China and Pakistan on the one hand
and for the regional states of South Asia, Middle East, landlocked Central Asia and East Asia, on
the other. It will provide China a shortest route of about 2500 kilometers to link with Middle East
by the Pakistan‘s much needed road and railway network. A huge amount of 46 billion US
dollars is allocated for the project to uplift Pakistan‘s development by meeting the energy needs,
building industrial parks and economic zones. This paper will use the paradigm of
interdependence to analyze the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Interdependence is a broad
term which refers to such situations of reciprocal effects among the states or actors in different
states. It is not only applicable to political-military interdependence but also to politicaleconomic interdependence. Here in the case it has been observed that with the rise of China and
its rapidly growing economy, a relatively peaceful environment and neighborhood is imperative.
With the completion of CPEC, this interdependence seems to be transformed into Complex
Interdependence by creating more peaceful environment and war; costly.
Topic:
Development, Energy Policy, Politics, Regional Cooperation, Infrastructure, and Economy